Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
AP Exams: Byah
Kudos to all my AP bretheren who (probably) rocked the APUSH exam on Friday. I gotta say the Vietnam DBQ was bangin' (there's a pun in there somewhere) and the multiple choice was (comment suspended for violation of article 22e-G11:a of the AP Exam Necronomicon, set down by the council of elders of high scholarship: Thou shalt not discuss the multiple choice section of the exam with anyone ever, under the pain of death by Larry White).
Prom on Saturday/Sunday was a blowout: I noticed quite a few people modeling "Hangover Couture" in the hallways this morning. After prom was a bit sedate but hey, I won free nachos.
We have four weeks left in the 07-08 year: If you don't have major senioritis right now you should consult a phychiatrist... or a mortician.
Prom on Saturday/Sunday was a blowout: I noticed quite a few people modeling "Hangover Couture" in the hallways this morning. After prom was a bit sedate but hey, I won free nachos.
We have four weeks left in the 07-08 year: If you don't have major senioritis right now you should consult a phychiatrist... or a mortician.
Friday, May 2, 2008
America’s Most Overrated President
Over the course of the last eight and a half months, my United States History teacher has attempted to force his flamingly libertarian worldview down the throats of his bright-eyed and bushy-tailed students. His overzealous machinations have proved somewhat effective in honing our somewhat underdeveloped rationale, however; his curriculum has been fraught from the get-go with efforts to defame and demonize some of the most beloved and influential characters in the history of this great country. For example: Thomas Jefferson, drafter of the Declaration of Independence, Founder of the University of Virginia, benefactor of the Library of Congress, and the brains behind the Louisiana Purchase and subsequent Lewis and Clarke expedition has come under attack by our supposedly arbitrary instructor on numerous occasions. The reason given for these defamations is Jefferson’s reduction of the navy in his term in office, and an apparent “zipper problem” when it came to one of his slaves. All previous affronts aside, our ersatz historian crossed the line of no return recently when he labeled John F. Kennedy the “second most overrated president in U.S. history (Jefferson being the first).” This declaration was followed by an insinuation that “catching a bullet in Dallas” was the only reason Kennedy achieved the popularity he did. Apart from casting absolute moral judgments on an era HE WAS NOT ALIVE TO SEE, I believe that my teacher has forgotten to evaluate the course one very important presidency in recent history. I am talking, of course, about America’s Most Overrated President: Ronald Reagan.
The Religious Right has hailed Reagan as some paragon of virtuous leadership and conservative government without ever abjectly examining the policies of said “fallen saint.” The following is a brief summary and examination of Reagan’s two terms as president of the United States (1980-1989).
Let’s Get This Party Started: Reagan was cast in a positive light in the first few months of his presidency by a series of events completely unrelated to anything he, personally, had done: 1) On inauguration day, 1980, Iran released 52 U.S. hostages thanks to months of intense bargaining by Reagan’s successor. 2) Two months after being sworn in, a lone gunman fired on the president in full view of the media, the would be assassin sent Reagan to the hospital, and his approval rating through the roof. One may be so bold as to say that catching a bullet was the best thing that could have happened to Reagan to cement his demigod status among the wealthy white males of this country.
Reaganomics: Supply-Side economics (christened “Reaganomics”) were imposed on the American people with the intention of stimulating investment by the upper class. Said intentions never came to fruition, instead the economy was worse off when Regan left the white house then it had been since World War I. Reaganomics largely consisted of the following:
- Expanded upper class wealth with a minimal trickle-down of invested capital.
- Tax cuts for upper income earners.
- Budget cuts in the area of $40 Billion from food stamps, Student loans, and public transportation.
- Dramatically increased military spending (hence escalating the Cold War).
Deregulation: Reagan reduced restrictions on many business-oriented policies in an attempt to “stimulate American business.” Deregulation reduced restrictions on the following:
-Mergers and takeovers by big corporations (laying the framework for the Enrons and WorldComs of the twenty first century).
- Environmental protection laws (part o the “let’s shaft the ecosystem” plan)
- Vehicle emissions (making An Inconvenient Truth possible)
- Automobile safety (Seatbelts are for wimps anyway)
- Opened up federal lands and waters for coal mining, oil drilling, and timber production (i.e. clear cutting, strip mining, oil rigging, and Butte, Montana)
1982: in Reagan’s second year as leader of the free world the U.S. economy hit the worst recession since the 1930s:
-Unemployment reached 11%
- The income gap between yuppies (young, urban professionals) and the middle ad lower classes widened.
- The status of the middle class stagnated, then declined, and continued to do so until Bill Clinton moved into the White House.
Justice League: Reagan appointed Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female justice in the position, to the Supreme Court. She, along with three other Reagan-appointed justices, restricted affirmative action laws (implemented to prevent racism/sexism in the workplace) and Roe vs. Wade (the pro-choice case).
1984: Reagan won a second term in office in ’84. Voter returns showed that 2/3 of white males voted for Reagan. As a matter of fact, the only two groups whose majority opposed Reagan were black people and poor people (those making less than $12,500 per year).
Spend Spend Spend: By the mid 1980s the Reagan administration:
-Reported deficits of over $200 Billion per year.
-Tripled the national debt from $90 Billion to around $2.7 Trillion
-Increased consumption of foreign-made goods and decreased investment via ineffective tax cuts.
- Ballooned the U.S. trade deficit to $150 Billion per year (for a grand total of $1 trillion trade imbalance in the 1980s).
-Increased foreign ownership of U.S. land.
-Broke up unions, reducing worker’s wages.
-Made the U.S. a debtor nation for the first time since 1917.
Foreign Debacles: During his eight years as president, Reagan:
-Repeatedly referred to the U.S.S.R. as the “Evil Empire” and “the focus of evil in the modern world” thus establishing a Star Wars analogy which would continue with…
-Star Wars: Reagan Spent billions on a program to outfit U.S. satellites with lasers to “shoot down enemy missiles as they entered the stratosphere.” The project was never completed, nor successfully tested.
-Expanded the military budget from $171 Billion in 1981 to over $300 Billion in 1985.
-Supported Nicaraguan “Contra” guerillas fighting an insurgency against the leftist Sandinista government (congress eventually passed the Boland Amendment to prohibit said aid).
-Spent $5 Billion in support of an El Salvadoran anti-leftist government who hired death squads to kill around 40,000 civilians (including United States missionaries).
-Secretly sold anti-tank and cruise missiles to Iran during the Iran/Iraq war and passed the profits on to the Contras in violation of the Boland Amendment. Reagan denied involvement when the media exposed the illicit arms dealing.
I conclude, based on this evidence, that Reagan was, without a doubt, the worst U.S. president of the twentieth century. He single handedly wrecked the economy, tainted the environment, widened the class gap in American society, and made a mess of our standing in world politics. Yet, based on his charisma and tax cutting policies, the pro-Reagan majority wanted to repeal the two-term amendment implemented after FDR’s thirty-some terms as commander in chief. Needless to say, this man was THE most overrated president in the history of the United States of America.
The Religious Right has hailed Reagan as some paragon of virtuous leadership and conservative government without ever abjectly examining the policies of said “fallen saint.” The following is a brief summary and examination of Reagan’s two terms as president of the United States (1980-1989).
Let’s Get This Party Started: Reagan was cast in a positive light in the first few months of his presidency by a series of events completely unrelated to anything he, personally, had done: 1) On inauguration day, 1980, Iran released 52 U.S. hostages thanks to months of intense bargaining by Reagan’s successor. 2) Two months after being sworn in, a lone gunman fired on the president in full view of the media, the would be assassin sent Reagan to the hospital, and his approval rating through the roof. One may be so bold as to say that catching a bullet was the best thing that could have happened to Reagan to cement his demigod status among the wealthy white males of this country.
Reaganomics: Supply-Side economics (christened “Reaganomics”) were imposed on the American people with the intention of stimulating investment by the upper class. Said intentions never came to fruition, instead the economy was worse off when Regan left the white house then it had been since World War I. Reaganomics largely consisted of the following:
- Expanded upper class wealth with a minimal trickle-down of invested capital.
- Tax cuts for upper income earners.
- Budget cuts in the area of $40 Billion from food stamps, Student loans, and public transportation.
- Dramatically increased military spending (hence escalating the Cold War).
Deregulation: Reagan reduced restrictions on many business-oriented policies in an attempt to “stimulate American business.” Deregulation reduced restrictions on the following:
-Mergers and takeovers by big corporations (laying the framework for the Enrons and WorldComs of the twenty first century).
- Environmental protection laws (part o the “let’s shaft the ecosystem” plan)
- Vehicle emissions (making An Inconvenient Truth possible)
- Automobile safety (Seatbelts are for wimps anyway)
- Opened up federal lands and waters for coal mining, oil drilling, and timber production (i.e. clear cutting, strip mining, oil rigging, and Butte, Montana)
1982: in Reagan’s second year as leader of the free world the U.S. economy hit the worst recession since the 1930s:
-Unemployment reached 11%
- The income gap between yuppies (young, urban professionals) and the middle ad lower classes widened.
- The status of the middle class stagnated, then declined, and continued to do so until Bill Clinton moved into the White House.
Justice League: Reagan appointed Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female justice in the position, to the Supreme Court. She, along with three other Reagan-appointed justices, restricted affirmative action laws (implemented to prevent racism/sexism in the workplace) and Roe vs. Wade (the pro-choice case).
1984: Reagan won a second term in office in ’84. Voter returns showed that 2/3 of white males voted for Reagan. As a matter of fact, the only two groups whose majority opposed Reagan were black people and poor people (those making less than $12,500 per year).
Spend Spend Spend: By the mid 1980s the Reagan administration:
-Reported deficits of over $200 Billion per year.
-Tripled the national debt from $90 Billion to around $2.7 Trillion
-Increased consumption of foreign-made goods and decreased investment via ineffective tax cuts.
- Ballooned the U.S. trade deficit to $150 Billion per year (for a grand total of $1 trillion trade imbalance in the 1980s).
-Increased foreign ownership of U.S. land.
-Broke up unions, reducing worker’s wages.
-Made the U.S. a debtor nation for the first time since 1917.
Foreign Debacles: During his eight years as president, Reagan:
-Repeatedly referred to the U.S.S.R. as the “Evil Empire” and “the focus of evil in the modern world” thus establishing a Star Wars analogy which would continue with…
-Star Wars: Reagan Spent billions on a program to outfit U.S. satellites with lasers to “shoot down enemy missiles as they entered the stratosphere.” The project was never completed, nor successfully tested.
-Expanded the military budget from $171 Billion in 1981 to over $300 Billion in 1985.
-Supported Nicaraguan “Contra” guerillas fighting an insurgency against the leftist Sandinista government (congress eventually passed the Boland Amendment to prohibit said aid).
-Spent $5 Billion in support of an El Salvadoran anti-leftist government who hired death squads to kill around 40,000 civilians (including United States missionaries).
-Secretly sold anti-tank and cruise missiles to Iran during the Iran/Iraq war and passed the profits on to the Contras in violation of the Boland Amendment. Reagan denied involvement when the media exposed the illicit arms dealing.
I conclude, based on this evidence, that Reagan was, without a doubt, the worst U.S. president of the twentieth century. He single handedly wrecked the economy, tainted the environment, widened the class gap in American society, and made a mess of our standing in world politics. Yet, based on his charisma and tax cutting policies, the pro-Reagan majority wanted to repeal the two-term amendment implemented after FDR’s thirty-some terms as commander in chief. Needless to say, this man was THE most overrated president in the history of the United States of America.
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